In the next few weeks, let’s join me explore Hong Kong, one of the most crowded cities in the world that has the world’s best International airport. During my stay in Guangzhou in 2009, I had always wanted to visit Hong Kong. My friends subsequently asked me to join with them to go there. However, due to visa restriction, I had no other choice than staying in Guangzhou. Disappointed? Yes, indeed I was. Once I obtained multiple-entry visa, I planned a series of trips to Hong Kong and Macau. Unfortunately, by the time I had the visa, most of my friends had visited those places and they did not plan to go there in the nearest time. I did not want to travel by myself. I thought I would not be able to make my dream come true. Time went by very quickly and the time for me to go back to my native country was approaching.
I wondered when and how I could go to Hong Kong. I was very curious to know what the city looks like. Many friends of mine who have visited it gave very nice remarks about the city. They said Hong Kong is the center for shopping branded goods with cheap prices. Others had said it is a place for food culinary and so on. The more I heard their stories, the more I became eager to see it.
But God was so good to me that He arranged the time and situation to visit Hong Kong with a friend, Michelle. Both Michelle and I had never been in Hong Kong. We had the same interest to visit the city. It was in January 2010 that we set off for Hong Kong. Luckily, Michelle had some relatives who had become Hong Kong's permanent residents and owned an apartment there.
In the morning, we took train to Shenzhen. The journey lasted for two hours. And from Shenzhen, we continued to take MTR to Hong Kong. After some struggles, we finally met with Michelle’s auntie. Welcoming us with warm smile, she looked very energetic and was very nice to us. Although she was 60 year old, she could walk very fast just like young people. She took us to her home, which was a small apartment. Most apartments in Hong Kong are relatively small because the land price is extremely high. This auntie lived with her husband. She had two married sons who had left the house. She showed us the room where we would stay for the next two nights. We used her second son’s room. And inside the room, there were pictures of her sons and his family.
On the first day of our visit to Hong Kong, map and mouth were our only two assets to do our exploration. Yes, the first place we visited was the Tsim Tsa Tshui Clock Tower. Thanks to the auntie’s guidance and instruction, we finally could arrive at the spot.
Hong Kong is known to be the city in the world that has the most tall buildings and skyscrapers. The structure of the city is the symbol of the city’s futuristic outlook. One of the structures that stands amidst the tall buildings as a memorial to the city’s industrial footprint is the Clock Tower.
Situated and initially built at the southern shore of Tsim Sha Tsui in the area of old Kowloon Station, the Clock Tower is one of the oldest landmarks in Hong Kong and is a reminder of the past colonial. The construction of the building began in 1910, which then was completed in 1913 and opened in 1916. Standing sentinel as high as 44 meters with 7-meter tall lighting rod at its top, the tower is the only remnant of the former Kowloon station on Kowloon-Canton railway. In 1975, the local government decided to destroy the old station for it was unable to handle the large volume of passengers, and relocated the terminus to a larger building in Hung Hom. The government’s decision raised great protest among the citizens. Despites the turbulence, the government was insistent to demolish the old railway station in 1977. Hearing upon this, the locals struggled to preserve the tower through discussions. It was then decided that the clock to be preserved. The locals gained victory for this and as a result we could see the tower until now. In 1990, the tower is acknowledged as a declared monument.
Originally, this old clock had only one face, but three additional faces were later added on the other sides of the tower. The remaining three sides of the clock were installed in 1920. The Clock Tower started its operation in 1921, but its usage was banned during Japanese colonization in Hong Kong during World War II. The tower is built out of red bricks and granite. You could reach the top of the tower using wooden staircase. In the past, visitors were allowed to visit the inner part of the clock, however, now it is closed for public visits due to maintenance reason.
Today, the former site of the old Kowloon station has been replaced with Hong Kong Cultural Center with its curving and featuristic features, Hong Kong Space Museum and Hong Kong Museum of Art, creating an unusual background to the Clock Tower.
Surrounding the Clock Tower are many beautiful skyscrapers that fascinate visitors. In the next journey stories, I will tell you the next popular destination in Hong Kong you should not miss out.
Sources:
Personal experience and additional information from other online articles
0 komentar:
Post a Comment